In the world of digital advertising and adtech, the term “leads” gets used often—but what does it actually mean?

What is the Meaning of Leads in Advertising?

In advertising and adtech, leads meaning refers to potential customers who have shown interest in a product or service. This can include users who fill out a form, click on an ad, subscribe to a newsletter, or engage with a landing page. These actions indicate a higher likelihood of conversion — making lead generation one of the most crucial aspects of performance marketing.

For media buyers, affiliate marketers, and performance-focused advertisers, leads are the primary success metric when the goal isn’t immediate purchases but driving high-intent actions.

Examples of lead actions in adtech include:

• Signing up through a landing page

• Requesting a quote or demo

• Submitting a contact form

• Registering for a webinar or trial

• Clicking through from a native, push, or search arbitrage ad and converting on the offer page

Types of Leads in AdTech

Understanding lead types helps advertisers align better with their traffic sources and campaign goals:

1. Soft Leads

These include users who engage with your offer but haven’t committed to a purchase yet. Examples: newsletter signups or survey completions. These are common in lead-gen arbitrage and email list building campaigns.

2. Hard Leads

These are users who’ve taken a high-intent action, like booking a call or requesting pricing. These often come from search traffic, native ads, or long-form pre-landers and tend to have a better ROI.

3. Validated or Qualified Leads

In B2B or service-based advertising, leads are often pre-qualified using filters like location, company size, or budget. This is essential for programmatic lead generation platforms and high-ticket offers.

How Are Leads Generated in Advertising?

Lead generation in adtech relies on paid media and strategic funnel building:

• Push & Pop Ads – Used for volume and list building

• Native Ads – Great for long-form lead funnels and qualification

• Search Arbitrage – Generates intent-driven leads by routing traffic through pre-landers

• Programmatic Campaigns – Deliver leads at scale with granular targeting

• Social & Display Ads – Engage users at various touchpoints in the funnel

Once the ad is clicked, the user is funneled to a landing page or quiz funnel, where their data is captured and sent to a CRM, advertiser, or third-party system.

The Role of Leads in Ad Network Campaigns

In performance marketing, generating leads isn’t just about volume—it’s about quality. Ad networks like EZmob allow advertisers to target users by device, geo, carrier, and even behavioral signals, improving lead quality.

Key metrics advertisers track include:

• Cost Per Lead (CPL)

• Lead-to-Sale Conversion Rate

• ROI or ROAS

• Lead Validity (especially with incentivized or push traffic)

High-converting leads are often nurtured post-capture through email flows, retargeting, or affiliate follow-ups.